Through Barriers

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Martin Voigt
12th Bangkok Chess Club Open; Bangkok, April 16, 2012
Caro-Kann Defence B18

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nh3 e6 7. Nf4 Bd6 8. c3 Nf6 9. h4 Qc7 10. Qf3. The vintage theory reference is 10. h5 Bxf4 11. Bxf4 Qxf4 12. hxg6 fxg6 13. Qd2 Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 Nbd7 15. Re1 Kf7 16. Bc4 Rae8 17. Bb3 c5 18. Ne4 Nxe4+ 19. Rxe4 Nf6 20. Re5 cxd4 21. cxd4 Re7 22. Rhe1 Rhe8 23. Kd3 h6 24. f4 ½–½ Boleslavsky – T. V. Petrosian, Candidates Tournament, Zürich 1953.
10. ... Nbd7 11. h5 Bc2 12. h6 gxh6 13. Bd3. 13. Ngh5 Nxh5 14. Rxh5 0-0-0 15. Bd3 Bxd3 16. Nxd3⩲ looks a little more promising.
13. ... Bxd3 14. Nxd3 Bxg3 15. fxg3 Rg8 16. Bf4 Qa5 17. 0-0? A bit too speculative. Best seems 17. Rxh6 0-0-0∞ eventually followed by ... Rg8-g6 as played in the game Fedorchuk – Lenič, 31st German Schach Bundesliga, Mülheim an der Ruhr 2011.
17. ... Qh5 18. Bc7 Qxf3 19. Rxf3 Ne4 20. Re1 f5 21. c4? White’s central breakthrough will prove to be literally catastrophic. She should try to hold on by 21. Nf2 followed by the exchange of Knights.
21. ... Ndf6 22. Be5 Ng4 23. d5 0-0-0! 24. dxc6 Rxd3 25. cxb7+ Kxb7 26. Rxd3 Nxe5−+ 27. Rb3+ Kc6 28. Ra3 Kb6 29. c5+ Kb7 30. b4 a6 31. Rb3 h5 32. a4 Nc6 33. Rd1 Kc7 34. b5 axb5 35. axb5 Ne5 36. Rc1 Nxg3? (36. ... Nd7 37. c6 Ndc5−+)
37. Ra1! Ne2+ 38. Kf1 Nd4 39. Rb4? (39. Rb2!=)
39. ... Rg4!−+ 40. g3 Nc2? The fatal 40th move throws away any Black’s advantage. After 40. ... Nd3 41. b6+ Kb8 White could well resign.
41. Rxg4 hxg4 42. Ra7+ Kb8 43. Rxh7 Nd4 44. Re7 Kc8 45. b6 Nec6 46. Rc7+ Kb8 47. Kf2 e5 48. Ke3 Nb4 49. Rf7 Nd5+ 50. Kd3 Nb4+ 51. Kc4 Nbc6 52. Kd5 e4 53. Rf8+ Kb7

54. Rf7+ Ka6?? Harakiri in the most dramatic style! Any other King’s move would have given a draw.
55. b7 Ka7 56. Rc7 e3 57. Rxc6 Nc2. Both 57. ... e2 58. Rb6 and 57. ... Nxc6 58. Kxc6 e2 59. Kc7 also lose on the spot.
58. Rb6 Kb8 59. c6 1–0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) walking through barriers. Photo: Bangkok Chess Club.